Charities

Frequently Asked Questions

Charity Bank Details

Why have we been asked for our charity’s bank details?

We are an HMRC approved and audited Payroll Giving Agency and administer Payroll Giving schemes for more than 1,200 employers across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We regularly receive donation instructions from employees wishing to support charities through Payroll Giving.

If we've approached you for your bank details, one of our donors has nominated you to receive their donation.

We require your banking details to make payments securely by BACS transfers.

How can we provide our charity’s bank details?

Please complete our Charity Bank Details Form (available in Downloads) and supply verification in the form of either a Paying-in Slip or void cheque.

It’s our policy and part of our necessary due diligence procedures to validate all bank details.

Supplying us with a paying in slip or void cheque enables us to verify the charity name, sort code and account number provided on the Charity Bank Details Form. This ensures that the funds we transfer reach the donors' intended charity(ies).

How do we know that it’s safe for us to send you our bank details?

We are an HMRC-approved and audited Payroll Giving Agency, in operation since 1987

We are fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), see our Privacy Policy.

Receiving Donations

How quickly can we expect Payroll Giving donations to arrive?

Payroll Giving deductions and supporting documents are sent to Charitable Giving to be processed and distributed on a monthly cyclical basis.

Once Charitable Giving is in receipt of funds and necessary documentation, under HMRC regulations, funds may take up to 35 days to be distributed.

How quickly can we expect donations from an Options Account to arrive?

Assuming availability of funds and charity information, Charitable Giving processes and distributes donations to nominated charities by secure BACS transfer within 10 working days of receipt of an account holder’s instruction.

What do the references on the payments mean?

Payments from Charitable Giving will include one of the following references:

Charities are not entitled to claim Gift Aid on Payroll Giving donations.

Payroll Giving deductions are taken from gross pay before Income Tax is applied, the tax advantage remains with the individual making the pledge.

For donations funded by post-tax income Charitable Giving may, upon request and where eligible, claim the Gift Aid on behalf of donors.

What is a PFO?

PFO stands for Professional Fundraising Organisation.

PFO’s are experienced promotional organisations. They make no charge to the employers they work with and are funded by the charities they represent to promote the Payroll Giving scheme.

Who are Benevity?

From April 2016 Charitable Giving will be making Payroll Giving and other distributions to charities on behalf of employers who have elected to facilitate their employees’ charitable efforts by providing them with Benevity’s innovative and engaging online platform, Spark.

Spark facilitates charitable giving in the workplace together with matching and volunteering opportunities, encouraging both individual and corporate philanthropy (described as “Goodness” by Benevity) amongst clients.

We are excited to be working alongside a partner with both measured global success in the marketplace and the same commitment to maximising contributions to charities through a unique range of giving solutions.

The Benevity team shares our dedication to providing outstanding service and customer care to all stakeholders – employers, donors and charities alike!

Find out more about Benevity and their full suite of solutions herewww.benevity.com